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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26762875">XXIII</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/GingerKI/pseuds/GingerKI'>GingerKI</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 02:42:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,482</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26762875</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/GingerKI/pseuds/GingerKI</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>An anonymous gift sparks a dinnertime conversation.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Spike/Buffy Summers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>XXIII</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.</p>
<p>In short, I do not own anything Joss would want and he owns a lot of stuff I do. I'm doing this solely to amuse myself and, maybe on a good day, entertain others. I leave that to them to decide.</p>
<p>This was inspired by a post I saw on social media marking the 23rd anniversary of the BEST meet-cute of all time, by which I am (of course) referring to the epic BtVS S2 episode 'School Hard," where Buffy meets her endgame, Spike. It was further inspired by a fun fact shared by a popular writer in this fandom in a subsequent discussion thread about said anniversary.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Buffy lifted the package off the doormat then unlocked and opened the door. Nudging it closed behind her she called out,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hey, you up?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah,” he called back from the kitchen, which was where she found him heating up a mug of blood.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Dropping the package onto the island along the way, she walked up to him and kissed him. He smiled the way he always did when she kissed him hello. Every. Single. Time.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Have a good day, Love?” Spike inquired.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It was okay. Nothing too exciting… wait, I take that back, <em>not</em> exciting <em>is </em>good<em>,”</em> she replied then nodded at the package and continued, “That was on the doorstep. I wanted you to make sure nothing inside is <em>alive</em> before I open it. Won’t make <em>that</em> mistake again.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Too right, paint’s barely dry on the refurb,” he concurred as he went to the package, examined the label and, raising his eyebrows, stated, “Posh London auction house.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Is that good or bad?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Dunno. Only one way to find out,” he replied then opened and searched what the creature he valued above all others living or dead confoundingly referred to as the ‘junk drawer’ for the box cutter which, once when Buffy had been forced to improvise, had been used to dispatch a surprisingly tough, extremely venomous, 18-inch tall ankle-biting demon that had popped out of a box she’d opened. They had replaced the blade, of course. And most of the kitchen. Spike had been out that night and come home to find Buffy sitting on the kitchen floor drinking red wine straight from the bottle, next to the wee corpse and surrounded by thousands of dollars in property damage.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You sure?” she inquired, that incident obviously weighing on her mind.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Whatever’s in here is inanimate, Pet,” he responded with a reassuring smile.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Buffy moved around the island to stand beside Spike as he opened the package to reveal an ornate silver plate wrapped in a red velvet bow with an envelope tucked under it. Untying the bow, he handed her the envelope then carefully lifted the plate out of the box and examined it, turning it over.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Pretty… Silver?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Just checking here for the mark and… well, I’ll be… <em>RH…</em> Robert Hennell, I reckon. Mum had a few pieces.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s antique?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Looks like. Mind you, not claiming to be an expert. Opinion’s based on memories over a hundred years old. Feels right too. What’s the card say?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She slipped the card out of the envelope and read it aloud:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>“Thomas &amp; Sons is pleased to deliver this item to you on behalf of the purchaser, who has chosen to remain anonymous, in honour…</em> Spelled the way you and Giles insist that it should be…<em> of your twenty-third anniversary… </em>Say what now? <em>...We at Thomas &amp; Sons also wish to convey our congratulations and best wishes on this happy occasion.”</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Buffy furrowed her brow and looked at Spike, whose brow was similarly furrowed, then said, “Our <em>23<sup>rd</sup></em> <em>anniversary?</em> Hardly. God knows, I’m not getting any younger but 23 years ago I was in high school.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You are a goddess no matter what age but, yeah, I was an evil sod then, sharing my unlife with Dru.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Doing some quick arithmetic in her head she added, “That was junior year. I was <em>all about Angel</em> then so… oh… wait… it’s… <em>the end of September</em>.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She shot him a knowing look. He smirked and remarked, “Was about this time of year, I arrived in Sunnydale.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“And promptly threatened my life.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yes, I did.” His smirk unfurled into a shit-eating grin.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“And didn’t even <em>wait until Saturday</em> to make good on the threat… or try to anyway.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Nope.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That’s <em>not</em> our anniversary!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Is one of ‘em, my most dearly beloved. Wouldn’t be standing here now if I hadn’t set eyes on you then dancing with Harris and Red."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“And <em>I</em> wouldn’t be standing <em>anywhere</em> now if Mom hadn’t whacked you in the head with a two-by-four.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Was an ax.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Whatever…” Buffy muttered then cleared her throat and put on her best (which also happened to be her worst) Giles accent and declared, “It is not customary to celebrate the anniversary of a death threat nor the subsequent assassination attempt.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Spike winced and commented, “Pet, if you’re gonna torture me, least make it fun and chain me up first.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“But seriously, folks,” she responded with a roll of her eyes then continued, “Whoever sent this either knows us well or knows all about us. And it is a <em>weird</em> anniversary to mark. I don’t like it.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Maybe it’s a bit of a joke… a gag gift from Harris or even Peaches.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“This is a pricey gag gift…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“And came by way of a class establishment… so that rules out Harris and… don’t know what I was saying, Gramps has no sense of humor to speak of. To play it safe, I’ll pop down to the basement and put it in the quarantine vault until Red or one of the thousand nerds eating up Council payroll can have a look-see.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Sounds good to me. I don’t like surprises.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Sometimes you like surprises,” he stated with a wag of his eyebrows.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“<em>That’s different.</em> Better take the box and everything that came with,” she replied with a smirk as she handed it over to him then continued, “I’ll figure out what I’m having for dinner and reheat yours that I interrupted.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ta, love. Back in a tick.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When Spike returned his warm mug was sitting on the counter. He took a seat while Buffy finished heating leftover takeout in the microwave and proposed,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ya know, it’s not <em>the worst </em>idea ever.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Turning to him she asked, “What’s not?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Celebrating when we first met.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Thought we already covered that.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The microwave dinged. She removed her plate, walked around the island to take a seat beside him and tucked into her food. He took a sip from his mug then said,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Could be a bit of a lark. All I’m saying.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eyeing him suspiciously she responded, “Clearly there is something on that warped man-demon mind of yours. Out with it.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Bit of role play. All in fun. Bad, rude vampire. Innocent young slayer.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Dropping her fork, she turned on her stool to face him and folded her arms then remarked, “Historically inaccurate much?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What do you think the whole bloody point of role play is, Slayer? Besides, not entirely.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Am I missing something? You wanted me dead. Once you made me aware of that fact it was a ‘right back at ya’ type scenario.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Part of me wanted to shag you moment I set eyes on you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You <em>so</em> did not. Natural enemies. You killed my kind. I killed yours. You went on and on about that. And on… and on.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Didn’t say the part what wanted to was thinking straight. Point of fact, that marked the moment thinking straight and yours truly began to part ways. For good, turns out, where you were concerned. Was the moment I was buggered, on the road to years of pain and suffering at your hot, lethal little hands. Least you were upfront about it,” he tacked on with a shrug.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Huh? I swear, it’s like we’re having two different conversations here. I was <em>upfront</em> about what? Exactly?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“First time we fought – God you were so young, but you were already a glorious Angel of Death you were – you told me it would hurt a lot. You were good as your word.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That… what… no… it wasn’t… I wouldn’t in my wildest dreams have imagined… back then.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“And yet, here we sit, Love, having our tea in <em>our</em> kitchen like an old married couple. Who knows? Maybe if I’d have turned on the old charm back then…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I don’t even want to imagine what you would have considered <em>the old charm</em> back then.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Don’t have to imagine. Can show you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You’re bent.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah, but I still make you scream, don’t I? Even after all these years.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m not her, Spike, that girl. I haven’t been for a long time.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“The pink in your cheeks what tells me you’re thinking about it says otherwise. Know you’re sometimes afraid the years made you hard, but that’s bollocks. You survived my git of a grandsire. You survived death. You even survived <em>me</em> and found it in you somewhere to let me into your heart. You’re strong but you’re not hard. That heart of yours is pure as it ever was. Now, clean your plate like a good girl and forget I mentioned it.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They each turned back to their respective meals. After a time, Buffy reiterated,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We <em>have</em> to get to the bottom of that <em>anniversary gift.”</em></p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>“And we will. Always do, Pet.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>With a sly smile she disclosed, “In the meantime… I think I <em>might</em> have an old mini skirt in the back of my closet.”</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <strong>FIN</strong>
</p>
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